When he walked out, however, his eye was drawn to the movement of crows as they pecked and tore at the pieces left behind. He didn’t know much about diseases—especially this one—but he watched them with fear that they would turn too. Killer people were one thing. Killer birds that could peck your eyes out were something else all together. He quickly led Shadow around the corner, away from the birds and their disgusting meal.
Around the corner was a whole other world. The smoke from the school was almost gone, leaving only a faint, bonfire-like smell. There were no body parts strewn about, and no mudmen. Just some gravel and a nice little patch of grass. Not much to look at, but better than what was in front.
It was strangely silent.
Usually on a day like this, Alex would hear a barrage of sounds: cars, airplanes, a buzz from the electrical wires. Now, just silence.
In the distance, a gun went off. Then again. Then more silence.
Alex stared wide-eyed in the direction the noise had come from, but could see nothing significant. Even Shadow stopped her post-bathroom frolicking to search the horizon, her ears perked up waiting for any other sound.
“So, I guess there are people out there,” Alex said to his dog after the silence grew too much for him. “I hope they’re on our side, huh girl?” It was the first time he had thought of this situation in terms of sides, but realized it was correct. The side he was on, with the other kids in the community centre, and the side with the mudmen. Maybe there were others.
He shivered and headed back for the door, looking down at Shadow to make sure that she was all right with the plan.
“What are you doing?”
He let out a yelp of surprise. Nicole stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, and an expression on her face that said she was not happy about something. Alex assumed it was him.
“What?” he asked, dumbly.
“What are you doing?” she said again, speaking slower this time as if her words were too complicated for him.
“What does it look like?” he asked, holding up Shadow’s leash. “I took Shadow outside. She’s been locked in that room all day, and she was miserable!”
“That’s fine,” Nicole said, in a tone that made him sure that it wasn’t fine at all. “But, when you want to go play outside, make sure you close the door! I mean, Jesus, Alex! What if someone got in?!”
“Like who?”
“Like one of those things, stupid!” She took a step toward him, pointing over her shoulder at the piked creatures. “What if one of those things got inside and killed all of us while you were out here playing with your dog?”
“Oh, like that would happen,” he said, avoiding her eyes. He knew she was right—he had been careless to leave the door open—but he wasn’t going to let her know that. “They’re super slow. I was only out here for—”
“It doesn’t matter!” she said, forcing him back a step. “They could have gotten in in a few seconds and come after us! That’s what they do!”
“Yeah, but—”
“And what if they got hold of you while you were out here?” she asked, clearly growing more upset as she went. “You were over here on this side, and we can’t see this side from anywhere so, what? You guessed it was okay? Huh?”
“I ... guess?” He felt horrible.
“And then we’d have to go looking for you, but it wouldn’t actually matter because you’d be dead.” She stopped and crossed her arms. “You know that, right? That you’d be dead?”
“There was nothing out here!”
“It doesn’t matter! There could have been! And,” she said, grabbing Alex by the shoulder and dragging him to the front of the building, “what do you call that?” She pointed down the street to where someone was wandering.
It was clearly a mudman.
The sight of the creature so far away made him want to bolt back inside, but he decided to play it like he didn’t care. He wouldn’t let Nicole make him look stupid again. “Pfft. Chill out,” he said with a shrug. “It’s way down there. Not a problem.”
“Chill—? What if it got to the door before you did?” Nicole said, shoving him back again. “What if—”
“Hey!” David called from the window above them. “Would you two be quiet? You’re going to bring them all back!”
Nicole glared silently at Alex.
Alex stared back, defiantly.
“Also,” David continued, “is the cat down there with you? He’s not up here anymore.”
Nicole’s nostrils flared. “I swear to God, Alex, if that cat ran outside—”
“So what?” Alex said, continuing to pretend. “If he’s gone, he’s gone.”
“Then we won’t know how it got in ... until something else does.” She shoved him again, harder this time. “If he’s gone, what are you going to say to Ryan?”
For the first time in this fight, he didn’t know how to respond. “I’m sure the cat’s still inside. It’s probably just ... downstairs ... or in another room?”
“I looked in the rooms,” David said from upstairs. “Not there either.”
“Get inside,” Nicole said, her tone threatening. “Now. We will fix this—YOU will fix this. Now!”
Alex knew not to say anything if he wanted to avoid an ass-kicking. Nicole was looking for an excuse. He held the leash tightly, as if for dear life, and ran inside. Nicole followed, slammed and locked the door, and blew past him on the stairs.
At the top, Kaitlyn and Hannah stood in front of a big blue bin full of things they had found. They weren’t looking in it, however. They were looking at Alex. David came out of the bedroom. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Alex figured he probably said something to Nicole—who was nowhere to be
